Millennial or Generation Y employees, those born between 1981 and 2000, may be willing to jump the company ship at their first chance, but not for the reasons that most employers assume.

During turnstone's Millennials in the Workplace discussion at the Impact HUB on Wednesday, a group of young Northwest business leaders talked about recruiting and inspiring leadership and mentorship in the emerging workforce. Panelists included Amy Balliett, co-founder of Killer Infographics; Zachary Cohn, partner at Liffft; Forest Key, CEO and co-founder of buuteeq; and panelist moderator, David Niu, founder of TINYhr.

"(Millennials) are coming out of college and it's hard to commit to one (job). Once you find the things you like, then you dive a little deeper," said Cohn, partner at Liffft, where he builds products and consults with large companies.

By seeking these opportunities, the panelists said, the Millennial employees are looking to embark on a journey with their career.

"In this economy, getting an internship is the best way to get into the industry," said Balliett, of Killer Infographics, an infographic and motion graphic design company, which is almost entirely run by Millennial-aged employees.

At this stage of their careers, interns and new workers are not only looking to gain professional experience but also connect with their company, the panelists said. In striving to understand their companies, new workers can often come off as demanding egotists with their requests for "me time."

Those requests for more one-on-one meetings are not necessarily a bad thing, though. "All (our 19-year-old intern) wanted to do was do an amazing job," remembers Cohn. In struggling to manage the young worker, Cohn and Liffft's four other workers realized that they had to build a better framework to support new employees.